Coming Home
by WiseGirlandSeaweedBrain
Summary: After two years away fighting in a special operations unit, Percy Jackson finally gets to come home to his family. His family he hasn't gotten to speak with in two years. All he wants is to go home to his wife Annabeth, but things have changed more than he realized. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Percy POV

Two years. It had been two years since I had been back in the United States. Two years since I had spoken to or seen any of my family. Two years since I had seen my wife, the love of my life.

I was coming back from deployment. I worked in special operations in the army. My division had quickly risen to the top and we were given the most classified cases. Due to that, we weren't allowed to have any contact with our loved ones during employment. For our safety and theirs.

All this had led to the past two years. The last I had spoken to my wife; I would be gone a year at most. That was until we lost one of our own, my best friend Jason Grace, in an operation gone bad. All of us had promised to find out who did it so it would never happen again. I had sent my wife a small video message, knowing if I actually told her over the phone, I would be staying longer her voice would break me and I'd be on the next plane back home.

I shut my eyes as we began to descend to the ground. I gripped the sides of my seats. I hated planes with a passion, but this was the only way to get back to New York City.

"Dude, relax," my friend and comrade Leo clapped me on the shoulder. "What does Annabeth always call you? Seaweed brain? Stop thinking so much." I smirked and opened my eyes as I hit him lightly.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever man," but I smiled at the thought I was so close to seeing my wife again.

"I still don't understand why you didn't call her," Frank said next to me.

"Like I said, if I heard her voice, I would break. The next time I see her, I want to be holding her, kissing her. Plus, it would be a nice surprise," I finished.

"Sure, and then after the kissing, I'm sure there will be some other stuff too," Leo wiggled his eyebrows.

This time, Frank hit him for me. "We need to get you a girlfriend."

"Speaking of girlfriends, is Hazel meeting you at the airport?" I asked.

Frank blushed. Hazel and he had only been dating a few months when he left for our mission. It was hard enough on a relationship to leave when you were married, Annabeth and I had technically been married for four now even though I had been gone for half of those, but dating was a different story. Yet, it seems that Hazel dated casually but had been waiting back on Frank.

"Yes," he muttered softly now his ears turning red.

"Awe, my two best friends are both getting some tonight and I have no one," Leo pouted.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on. We all know you are going to go to a bar tonight and overexaggerate our stories to make it seem like you are a hero and take a girl home."

"Touché," Leo replied.

The speakers overhead buzzed. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. We have now arrived at JFK airport in New York City. We hope you enjoyed your flight and see you again soon."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Seriously, you need to get over your fear of airplanes," Leo muttered.

"They are terrifying!" I defended.

Frank rolled his eyes at our bantering as he stood up to grab our bags from overhead. "Well, it's over now."  
People started to deplane, and I stood up behind him. "And now we're home."

We hurried off and nodded at the many who thanked us for our service. All I wanted to do was go home and see my wife. I could practically picture her stormy grey eyes and princess blonde hair.

We reached baggage claim and Frank's eyes lit up when he saw who I could only assume to be Hazel. Frank and I hadn't met until deployment, while Leo, Jason, and I had known each other before. But Frank had turned into a good friend and I was glad he had happiness. Leo and I laughed as he ran up to her and picked her up and spun her in a circle.

My heart ached a little. _Maybe I should've called Annabeth_, I thought thinking about our could've been reunion here. But I know my wife, she would want something more private. We walked over.

"And you must be Hazel, I'm Percy," I stuck my hand out and she shook my hand.

"And I'm Leo," he followed suit.

"It's nice to meet you. Thank you for keeping him safe over there," she said with his arm slung around her shoulders.

I smiled. "I'm pretty sure it's the other way around. I would love to get you to know you, my wife and I would love to have you over some time."

"Your wife? Is she here?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I thought privacy would be better. Speaking of, I'll need to get going."

Leo clapped my shoulder. "Call me when you get a chance. After, you know," he wiggled his eyebrows and the three of us also blushed. He threw his arms up in defeat. "They're married, what do you expect?"

"I will," I responded once I gained my composure. "Then we'll have to make a time to go see Piper and Thalia," I gulped. Jason's girlfriend and his half-sister. We hadn't gotten a chance to come home for the funeral, but I know they would like to see us.

Leo nodded. "Will do. Now go home to your wife!" He pushed me forward and I laughed as I rushed out to my waiting Uber.

The car ride back was quiet, but pleasant. New York was actually experiencing a sunny spring day which was rare. I took in all of my surroundings. It took us an hour to get to my house. Right before I was deployed again, Annabeth and I had bought our first home in a suburb right outside the city. I hadn't gotten to spend much time in it, but wherever Annabeth was felt like home to me.

We pulled up into my neighborhood and my heart leapt when I saw my house. It did so even more when I saw my mother's car parked in our driveway. She must be visiting Annabeth. Maybe I would get a reunion with my wife and my mom. That did mean it needed to be more PG though…

I grabbed my bag and practically ran to my house. I took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. There was a pregnant pause before I heard footsteps.

"Coming," I heard my wife yell. My god, her voice. I stepped back as the door swung open. "Who?" but then her hands flung to her mouth when she saw who was standing before her. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes. "Percy," she trailed off and I swooped her into my arms walking into the house. I shut the door with my leg and gave her a passionate kiss.

This was one of the best moments of my life, next to marrying this woman. I missed her so much, and to have her in my arms again felt like a miracle. It was moments later that she pulled away to look me in the eyes.

"Annabeth," I practically moaned. But then she did something that surprised me. She raised her right hand and slapped me across the face. I let out a small gasp, not from pain, but surprise.

"Oh my god, Percy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean," she began but I just took her palm and kissed it.

"It's okay," I laughed tears starting to form in my eyes. "I've been gone a while, more than I thought. You can be mad."

Tears streamed down her face. "Percy, it's not that. It is, but," she stopped when my mom came to the door.

"Percy," my mom sobbed out.

I stepped away from my wife to engulf my mother in a huge hug. "Hey mom," I managed to choke out.

She stepped back and hit me lightly. "You've been gone for two years and the best I get is a "hey mom"?"

I threw my hands up in defense. "Why do I keep getting hit?"

My mom's smile dropped. "We just missed you, honey," she glanced over at Annabeth. "Some more than others."

"Love," I let it drop off my tongue as I turned to Annabeth again.

She shook her head and kissed me again. "It doesn't matter anymore, you're back. I just wish you would have told us; I would have cleaned up."

"I just need you," I said kissing her again. Gosh, I would never get tired of kissing her. Yet, there was something in the air as well. Annabeth shot an almost pleading look at my mom. "Is everything alright?" I asked scrunching my eyebrows.

"I'll stay with him, go," my mom nodded.

Annabeth pulled away from my arms. "I'll be right back Seaweed Brain," my heart melted when she used my nickname. She rushed off upstairs and I stood still with my eyebrows scrunched.

"Where's she going?" I asked. _I had only been back for five minutes and she needed space? _

My mom grabbed my arm. "Percy, come sit down." She led me to the couch.

"Mom," I gulped. A million thoughts were rushing through my head. A lot could change in two years, was Annabeth alright? "Everything's okay, right? Annabeth is," my mom squeezed my hand.

"Just a minute. Just remember to breathe Percy," my mom let out a smile.

Just then, my wife began to descend down the stairs and the world as I knew it dropped out underneath me. I should have noticed it before. The fireplaces sharp edges were covered up. There was a bright colored box in the corner.

Annabeth walked down the stairs with a blonde-hair baby. Well, not quite a baby anymore. The child rested against my wife's chest as Annabeth held her against her hip. Now it was my turn to cover my mouth tears openly flowing. I didn't even have to ask.

"Annabeth," there were no words.

She sat down next to me and the child turned towards me. She had my green eyes. "Percy, this is our daughter," Annabeth said slowly and I'm pretty sure all the air had been pushed out of my lungs.

"What, how? Annabeth," I still couldn't talk as the little girl continued to stare up at me from my wife's lap with her curious eyes.

"I found out I was pregnant a week after you left," Annabeth's lips quivered.

"Love," I said. "You were getting sick before I left. I thought it was because you were nervous about me leaving," I shook my head.

"I did too, but once you left, I realized how late I was," she shook. "I just wished I would have checked a week earlier."

"My god, Annabeth," I couldn't take my eyes off of that little girl. "You must hate me."

She let out a laugh between her tears. "I don't hate you; I love you. Aria is living proof of that."

"Aria?" I gulped and cautiously brought my hand out to the little girl. My daughter.

Aria quickly snatched my finger. I held back a sob. The little girl seemed to approach me cautiously as well. She turned back to Annabeth as if asking for permission. My wife kissed our daughter's head and she took that as an okay. She crawled from Annabeth's lap into mine as I held my breath.

"Hey, Aria, I'm your dad," I smiled.

She cocked her head, but then something changed. Her small face scrunched up and she began to cry. Her face grew red and I quickly dropped my arm.

"Mama," she called out and turned back to Annabeth. My wife swooped her up and began to coo at her.

"Shh, sweetie. That's your daddy," she mumbled against our daughter's hair.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked shaking.

"Oh, honey," I forgot my mom was still here as she muttered behind us.

"No, Aria is just sometimes scared of strangers," she said.

The room held silent as I took a sharp intake of breath. Even Aria muddled her cries sensing her mother's tenseness. Because that was what I was to her, a stranger. This little girl was mine, but all I had done at this point a sperm donor could do. She didn't know me.

I stood up and Annabeth tried to recover. "Percy, that's not what I meant."

I shook my head. "No, you're right. She doesn't know, I'm a stranger to her." I started to shake violently.

"Honey," Annabeth stood up with Aria on her hip and touch my cheek and I jerked back.

"I just," I gulped and ran towards the door. "I just need some air," I said before running out into the road with Annabeth calling behind me.

My heart and mind were racing. Only a few hours ago I was coming home to see my wife, little did I know it was to see my wife and kid. Kid. My daughter. I had a daughter that I didn't even know about for two years.

I stopped running when I realized how far I had gone. I made it into a forest near our house by a small pond. Annabeth and I had discovered it on an exploring adventure we'd had when we first moved it. It had quickly become my favorite spot. I sighed and sat down putting my head in my hands and began to sob.

My wife. My amazing, intelligent, beautiful, strong wife. She had been pregnant all alone. I left her all alone when she was pregnant. I could imagine her. Her taking a pregnancy test and finding out. Days over the toilet vomiting with morning sickness. Her belly growing swollen from our child growing in there. I would have been with her at everything.

And the birth. That was something I didn't want to imagine. Her in pain, her blonde hair soaked with sweat and still, all alone. Husbands were supposed to be in there with their wives and I hadn't. I missed the birth of our first child, and that was something I could never get back.

Aria. God. She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I know her eyes were mine, but her stare was all her mother's. I would have changed every diaper, shushed every cry, kissed all the pain away. Yet, Annabeth had done that all on her own and my daughter only knew me as a stranger.

Sobs continued to wrack my body when I heard soft footsteps in the woods beside me. I lifted my head up slightly and saw the sun setting on the horizon. I had been out for longer than I realized.

"Percy," Annabeth's tone was gentle.

I rested my head on my knees curled up as she approached. "Where's," I gulped, "where's Aria?"

Annabeth placed her hands on the ground as she sat next to me. "Your mom took her. I'll go get her in the morning. She thought it would be good for us to have the time to talk."

Talk. Talk about what? How I was the worst human being ever? How I'm a stranger to my child? How I'm probably a stranger to my wife now.

She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder. I pulled away. "You don't need me. You don't want me."

She rolled her eyes and proceeded to lift my arm up and snuggle into my chest even more. "Perseus Jackson, I know it's been two years, so you might need some reminding. I'm your wife, but you never get to tell me what to do." She sighed and said barely audible. "And I'll always want you."

A smile lifted on my face. "Sure." She ran her fingers up and down the front of my shirt and it made me shiver. "I'm sorry." I finally let out.

She kissed my chest through my shirt. "For what?"

I carefully brought my hand up and ran my fingers through her hair. "For leaving. For leaving you alone."

"Percy," she sat up and turned around practically straddling me, but this was nothing sexual in nature. She took my head in her hands and stared at me. "You have nothing to apologize for."

I gulped. "I do. If I had known," but all I got was a raised eyebrow in response.

"You would have what? Stayed?" I nodded slowly. "Percy, is what you did over there important? Did you help people? Save them?" Although I couldn't go into detail, Annabeth was smart and realized how important my position was after the first time I went over, before we were even married. I nodded. She kissed my nose. "That's all we need. You didn't know it, but you were protecting Aria and me from over there."

I placed my hand over hers and softly began to cry. "How are you so amazing?"

She smiled lightly. "I've had all the time to be mad and that dissolved to just missing you."  
"So you were mad," I quickly countered.

She sighed. "Of course, I was Percy. I was mad that you left even though I knew you needed to. When I was pregnant, I resented you sometimes, but then I remembered how good and loyal you were and I couldn't stay mad," tears brimmed her eyes as well. "And god, when Aria was born, she has your eyes and smile and is too much like you. All I wanted was for you to come home."

My lip quivered. "Maybe I shouldn't have. If I had," but she cut me off with a kiss.

"Perseus Jackson, we are not going through this again, okay?" She tightened her grip on me. She was referring to the first time I had come back. We were only dating at the time, but I had pulled away, hard and gone to a dark place. Annabeth was the only thing that kept me sane, and even she I pushed away. It took us months to get back to where we were before I left. "Okay?" she pushed.

I nodded. "Okay."

"Good," she dropped her arms. "Aria needs her father."  
"But she doesn't. Annabeth, you're so good with her," I said trailing my knuckles up and down her arms.

"She does," Annabeth reiterated. "I've been trying my hardest, but I'm only her mother. She'll love you."

"Will," my Adam's apple bobbed. "She hates me."  
She rolled her eyes. "She's a baby Percy."

"She's not quite a baby anymore," I replied.

"No, but these are the times she'll remember. She'll warm up to you, I know she will. You two are too much alike."

I smirked. "So, she's a trouble maker then?"

She laughed. "And she's only one." I stared into my wife's eyes and she smiled again. "I really did miss you. I'm sorry for dropping this on you right after you got back, it's not fair."

Now it was my turn to kiss the tip of her nose. "Let's just agree we haven't been being fair to each other, but let's make it up."

She nodded and nuzzled into my neck as she shivered slightly. "And as much as I love this spot, it's getting kind of cold," I chuckled. "How about we go home? I'll make something for dinner, and you can take a shower."

I nipped her ear. "Or we can skip dinner and _we _can take a shower." I couldn't see her face but could tell it was red.

"Percy," she sighed.

I threw my hands up in surrender. "Okay, I'll agree to some food."  
She perked up. "Okay, let's go," and practically dragged me back to our home.

Annabeth went to making dinner and I hopped into the shower quickly. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was starving and missed American food. Even if my wife was cooking it.

I wrapped a towel around my waist and ventured into our bedroom. The décor was simple but there had been some additions since I last left. My breath hitched when I saw the photo collage on the far wall. I walked over in a trance.

It was pictures of my beautiful wife, but very pregnant. These photos were professionally done but I had no idea who convinced my wife to do them. They were of her mostly bare, her swollen stomach the centerpiece of it all. In the middle of the pictures was a small sonogram and "baby Jackson" written on it.

"Piper convinced me to get them. She said you would like it," Annabeth said from our doorway.

I was still in a trance when she walked up behind me. "Annabeth, you're beautiful. I know I tell you that a lot, but, wow."

She laughed lightly. "So, Piper was right?"

I nodded. "Very."

I turned around to my wife and she let out a small gasp. For a moment I forgot that I wasn't wearing a shirt. Tears sprung to her eyes, a theme of the day.

"Percy," her voice shook as she pressed her hand to my bare chest. "These weren't there before." She was talking about my scars. She knew all my old ones, but these past two years brought in new ones. Worse ones.

"Things got bad," I said stoic. I always tried to open up to my wife, but some things were left better unsaid.

"Percy," Annabeth tried to coax it out of me.

"Someday, just not today. Please," I begged.

She nodded but still began to kiss my scars. My eyes fluttered with each of her kisses. She was kissing all the pain away. She stood up and something in her eyes grew darker. I hissed in response. Dinner was long forgotten.

Soon, I pushed Annabeth against the wall as she yanked the towel away from me. She moaned when she saw me naked again for the first time in two years. I loved the way my wife looked at me, but I couldn't be the only one naked.

I swept my fingers under her shirt and started to pull it off when she placed her hands on my chest panting. "Wait," she said.

I dropped my arms. "Sorry, it's been so long. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's just." She shut her eyes tight. "I'll just take care of you then we can go eat." She started to kneel down, but I held her up.

"Annabeth, the only thing I want to do is make love to you," I said, and she blushed but didn't move. "Love, what's wrong?"

"It's stupid, really," she muttered.

I lifted her chin. "Annabeth."

She gulped at my tone. "It's just, you haven't seen me in two years. I'm not the same. I've had a kid. I've gained weight and I can't get rid of those stupid stretch marks, and," I cut her off with a kiss.

"Do you really think I care about that?" I growled. "Marks from carrying _our child_ in you. Annabeth, you had my daughter." I said and reached my fingers under her shirt. "You carried my daughter in you for nine months and brought her into this world. I think you're the sexiest woman alive, nothing could stop me from believing that. You love me with my scars, I love you with yours." She gulped saying nothing. "Can I continue now? Can I show you how much I really missed you and loved you?"  
"Yes," she responded softly.

"Good."

The next morning, I woke up to my wife naked in bed with me, something I had waited two years for. The air smelled of sex and I loved it. My wife slept soundly next to me, her blonde curls resting against the pillow. I smiled, just watching her sleep.

A few minutes later, she opened one of her eyes. "How long have you been creepily watching me sleep?"

I chuckled. "Only a few minutes. Are you doing okay?" I asked referring to our countless rounds of sex the night before. I don't think we'd done that much since our honeymoon.

Annabeth nodded but then winced and guilt washed over me. She saw my expression change and kissed me reassuring me she was alright. "I'm just a little sore, that's all. I'll just go shower and get Aria." She started to stand up and saw she was still in a little discomfort. I pushed her down.

"How about you relax, and I'll go get Aria?" I asked.

"That," sighed and smiled. "That would actually be really nice. Just take my car, Aria's car seat is in the back. Your mom can show you how to strap her in." I gave her a quick kiss before showering. I ran out and put on some clothes before heading over to my mom's house.

I knocked on the door and my mom greeted me with a wide smile. "Percy, what a surprise. I was expecting Annabeth."

"I thought it would be nice for her to sleep in," I said trying to hide the fact of our sex-laden night. I mean, we were married and had a daughter, but I didn't need to be sharing these facts with my mother.

I heard a gasp behind my mother and saw my younger sister, Estelle. A while back my mom had gotten remarried to my stepdad, Paul. He was amazing, but I was sixteen when I found out my mom was pregnant again. I absolutely adored my little sister, but it was times like these that I wish I spent more time with my family.

"Squirt, you've gotten bigger," I said picking her up and spinning her in a circle.

She giggled as I set her down. "I've missed you."

My smile softened, "I missed you too."

She let out another small gasp when I heard a light squeal come from the living room. She rushed over and picked up Aria. My mom and I followed her in to where she was cooing at my daughter as Paul sat on the couch.

"Glad to have you back," he smiled at me.

"Glad to be back," I said but not really looking at him, just looking at my daughter.

He laughed. "You got a big surprise when you got back, huh?"

I laughed. "That's a little bit of an understatement."

"Shh, Aria, Auntie 'Stelle has you," she smiled as she calmed her down. I came over and cautiously approached my daughter, hoping to avoid the cries of yesterday. "Aria that's your daddy!" She said. "I know you haven't known him that long, but I have, he's my big brother. He helped take care of me when I was a baby, so I know he'll be so good with you. He'll love you, and play with you, he even helped change my dirty diapers!" I let out a laugh.

Aria stared up expectantly at her aunt before Estelle practically threw her in my arms. Both Paul and my mom held their breathes as I held my daughter. I'm sure my mom relayed the day before to my stepfather. I even held my breath, but I tried not to show it.

"Guys, relax." I said almost trying to convince myself. _I was her father; I could do this. _I coughed. "Does she have anything I need to bring back? And, uh, Annabeth said you could help me figure out her car seat."

My mom laughed. "I have all her things in this bag," she said and helped me swing it over my arm. Gosh, how had Annabeth managed this all by herself? "And yes, I'll help you with the car seat. The first time Annabeth tried this one, she practically threw it on the ground trying to figure it out before she asked for help." That was my wife, stubborn.

I followed my mom out to the car and watched with ultimate focus what she was doing. She let out a laugh as I helped her finish buckling Aria in. I shut the door softly before going up to the front. I started the car but didn't move. My mom knocked on my window and I rolled it down.

"Percy, you'll be alright. You have Annabeth and Aria, but just remember to take care of yourself too. Annabeth will understand if you need a break," my mom said referring to the last time I came back from fighting.

I nodded and gulped. "How, how am I supposed to drive?" I asked and my mom quirked an eyebrow. "My daughter is in the back, what if something happens?"

My mom smiled. "Every new parent has that fear. Relax, just drive." I nodded and put the car in reverse, but I still don't think I had ever driven so careful in my entire life.

Aria was an angel, until we made it back to our neighborhood. I was probably five minutes from home when she let out a shrill cry. I glanced in the mirror and she was bright red and crying.

"Aria, baby," I muttered and debated on pulling over to calm her down but decided against it. I pulled into our driveway and barely remembered to put the car in park before I went back to help my baby girl.

I tried to calm her down, but I couldn't figure out that stupid car seat. I spent minutes trying to get her out while her cries only grew. I jumped when Annabeth placed a hand on my back, and I hit the ceiling of the car.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered as I crawled out. "Here, let me," she said as she, in one second, undid Aria's car seat and pulled her into her arms. "Shh," she calmed Aria as I followed her inside. "It's okay baby. Your daddy's just learning." We got inside and I was about to talk when Annabeth continued to speak. "You don't remember it, but when you were born, I had no idea what I was doing, I still don't. Your dad was off saving the world," I scoffed a little, "so, it'll take him some time to catch up. Just let him, like you let me." Annabeth gave me a smile as Aria calmed down.

"Annabeth," I gulped.

She kissed my cheek. "Come on, I made some breakfast. Let's eat as a family."

_Family. _This new life would take some getting used to.

**Thank you all for reading! I'm trying something new by branching out into an alternate universe and we'll see how it goes! Please let me know what you think by reading a review and checking out my other stories as well! Hope you enjoyed! **


	2. Chapter 2

Annabeth POV

Percy and I were sitting on the floor against our couch. It didn't get much use these days with me chasing Aria around. We had closed off the two exits to the living room and Aria was running around playing. In the few days since he'd been back, Percy loved to watch her play.

Aria was currently hobbling around bringing us, well mostly me, back various toys. She ran over and gave me one of her stuffed animals, a little koala bear.

"Mama," she gurgled as she set it in my lap.

"Thank you," I mused back as she giggled and ran off to get another. I set it down and added to my ever-growing pile.

We were sitting on the ground for the last half-hour, but we were content. Percy's eyes just followed Aria back and forth each time she ran, and he smiled every time she giggled. I know he was sad to miss out on my pregnancy and Aria's first 15 months, but he was going to be there now.

Aria ran back over and grabbed her favorite stuffed animal, a pink and purple dolphin. She ran back over but paused in front of Percy and me. She cocked her head to the side, and instead of handing it to me, she slowly made her way to Percy. He held his breath as she pressed the stuffed animal into his hand.

"Thank you," Percy practically shook as he said them.

"Aria," I smiled and leaned against my husband. She perked up. "Sweetie, can you show daddy where your arm is?" I asked. It was a game we played, to try to get her to learn different body parts. I also tried to emphasize _daddy_. 'Mama' had been her first word and her most often at that next to 'no' and 'ya'. I knew it would make Percy feel amazing if she called him dad soon, but it may take time.

Aria smiled as she put her hand on her arm. Percy's face lit up. I smiled. "What about your ear?" Aria almost knocked herself over trying to touch her ear. "And your nose?" this was her favorite. She giggled as she touched her nose. I leaned over. "Where's my nose?" she pressed her finger to me. "And what about daddy's nose?"

I paused as I waited for her. It took longer than me, but Aria started to move. Percy was far taller than me, so she crawled up into his lap before standing up. She reached out her tiny finger and placed it on Percy's nose. Tears sprung to his eyes. She would actually interact with him without crying now, that was only if I was around.

"That's right baby girl," Percy smiled. "You're so smart like your mommy," he pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she smiled before running off again.

"See," I nudged my husband. "She likes you." Percy was about to protest when I stopped him, "Don't even argue. That dolphin is her favorite."  
"It is?" he asked.

"Yep," I smiled as I went in for a kiss, but then Percy's phone vibrated. I narrowed my eyes. "Who is it?"

Percy took out his phone. "It's Leo, he's trying to video message," he said. He glanced over at Aria who instead of running back to us had decided to play with some big blocks. He slid the phone's screen and made sure both of us were in view.

"Percy! Oh, and how's Mrs. Jackson over there," Leo smirked.

"Glad to see you again too Leo," I rolled my eyes.

"Mr. Jackson over here hasn't called me since we got back, I figured that meant you two were busy," he wiggled his eyebrows and I rolled my eyes more.

"Leo," I scolded.

Percy laughed and readjusted the screen. "Leo, stop harassing my wife."

He threw his hands up in defense. "Sorry dude, but like I said, you've been ignoring me."

"We've been busy, but not with that," Percy said. He glanced over at me as I bit my lip.

All of our family and friends knew about Aria, at least the ones who weren't fighting with Percy in the war. Leo must have not spoken to anyone else yet either. I nodded at him and held my arms open. Aria glanced up and quickly ran over to hop in my lap.

"Percy, shit," Leo muttered as Aria came into view.

"Language, Leo," I muttered but couldn't help but smile.

"Leo, meet my daughter, Aria," Percy grinned proudly.

"Percy, dude," his eyes were wide. Aria was staring into the camera back at Leo. She wasn't immune to the idea of technology, my family lived far away so we video messaged them often so they could see Aria. "You didn't say Annabeth was pregnant if we would have known," Leo let the thought trail off.

"Well, he didn't know either," I said.

"Wait, what?" Leo's eyes narrowed.

Aria wiggled and I readjusted her. "I found out a week after he left, and there wasn't really any way to contact you all."

Percy glanced at us with wide eyes. "So, I got the best surprise when I got back."

"Dude, I would say so. We've been talking about what it would be like when you had kids, but god, she looks exactly like the two of you," Leo said then laughed. I glanced down at Aria in my lap and her eyes were starting to droop. "And it looks like she might be tired."

I leaned over and kissed Percy's cheek. "I'll go put her down for her nap. I'll be back in a minute." Percy nodded as I picked up Aria who was already falling asleep on my chest.

Gosh, did I love this sweet little girl. She didn't even know how precious she was. She helped get me through when Percy was gone and now, she's helping with Percy being back.

I carefully set her down in her crib trying not to wake her. Although that never really seemed to be a problem. She was a heavy sleeper like her father. She sometimes even drooled like him. I turned on the baby monitor and slowly backed out of the room.

I must have walked down the stairs very quietly too because Percy made no sign he heard me coming. I was about to announce my presence when I realized he was still on the phone with Leo. I wasn't normally one to eavesdrop, but what Leo was saying caught my attention.

"Percy, dude seriously, don't say that," he said through the phone.

"Leo, it's true," Percy said. "Aria treats me like a stranger, at least now it's more like a comfortable stranger. And Annabeth, she's absolutely amazing, but she doesn't need me here. She knows how to do this on her own. She would be better on her own."

I wanted to jump out and pounce on him. We'd had this discussion before. I _wanted _him. I loved him and Aria loved him too. I had barely held myself together the first few months Aria was born, but I had to adjust my life for her.

"Don't go down this road again, Percy. Everything is just new to them. Annabeth and your daughter are adjusting to you being home. Percy, focus on the fact you have a freaking daughter man, you're a father. Can you believe that?" Leo asked.

I could practically see Percy smile. "I can't. After all this time of Annabeth and I being together, and," he trailed off. Neither of them had to say it. I shut my eyes to force out those memories.

"Now you're here," Leo tried to pull him back.

"I am," Percy replied softly.

"Are you doing okay?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Percy paused then sighed. "No, not really. I've had an appointment with my therapist, but I keep pushing it back. I just want to spend some time with Aria."

"Makes sense, but Dr. Chiron won't like you pushing it back. Plus, your daughter needs to have her dad healthy. You haven't had any triggers or thoughts, have you?" Leo questioned.

Percy inhaled sharply. Shoot. His wait time on his response was a response in itself. I thought he had been doing okay, doing better. I was a terrible wife not realizing it.

"I'm controlling it, the best that I can. Aria really keeps me grounded, gives me something to work for," he commented.

"Just keep yourself good Percy. You go through the worst of it," Leo sighed.

Suddenly, a female voice called out from Leo's side. "Leo!" she called.

"Uh, got to go, Percy. Give the wife and daughter love from me," Leo said before he hung up. I heard Percy let out a big sigh and I decided to make my presence known.

"Hey," I let out a small smile as I sat down next to him again. "Aria's asleep, she sleeps like a rock. You two have that in common."

Percy didn't look up at me. "How much of that did you hear?" he questioned, and I gulped. One of our rules, we never keep secrets from each other.

"Enough," I said. He just let out another sigh. "How come you didn't tell me that you weren't doing okay?"

His hands clenched into fists. "I'm handling it."

I worked my fingers in between his and unclenched his hand. "Remember, _we_ handle it. You don't have to do this on your own, okay?" he didn't respond, and I sighed. I swung my leg over him, so we were chest to chest. I lifted his chin, so he was forced to look me in the eyes. "Okay?"

He nodded and let out a weak, "Okay."

"Love, what's bothering you?" I asked.

He sighed as he began to run his knuckles up and down my arms. "It's not like it used to be, at least not right now. More of the _what ifs._"

"Those are just as dangerous," I muttered. My voice grew soft. "What _what ifs _are you thinking of?"  
His eyes darkened, and not in a good way. "The worst ones."

"Tell me," if possible, I was even quieter.

"If I didn't make it back, if something would have happened, if you," he sighed. I knew where he was going with this one and it was the worst. "If you hadn't found me."

"Well, I did. There's no need to worry about that now." I replied.

"And Aria, god," he began to choke up. "If I, she wouldn't be here. Sometimes that is too much to bear."

I leaned forward and captured his bottom lip with my mouth. Percy gasped but didn't otherwise protest. I began to suck on his lip, and he moaned, shutting his eyes.

"Don't even begin to think about that," I muttered as I worked my way down to his neck.

"Annabeth," he moaned.

I licked his neck before I spoke again. "If I'm going to have to keep distracting you, I will."

"I like this distraction," he laughed grabbing my arms to keep supported.

I sat up and dragged my fingers through his hair. "I love you so much Percy, but Leo's right, I think you should go see Dr. Chiron."

He sighed. "I'll make an appointment now, just for you." He kissed my fingertips and stood up to make the call.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I don't know how bad it was for Percy now. The first time he came back, he did such a good job of hiding it all. No one knew what he was going through. Not Leo or Jason. Not Grover or Reyna or Piper or Thalia. Not Sally. Not even me and I thought I could read him so easily.

Percy came back into the room. "What are you thinking about Wise Girl?" he asked.

"What makes you think I was thinking?" I smirked.

He let out a low chuckle. "Love, I know my wife. The daze you had is when you are contemplating. Penny for your thoughts?"

Sometimes it was better if he didn't know. Still, how many times did he think the same thing about me? "Just about Piper and Thalia. I haven't talked to them since you've gotten back," I said. It wasn't a total lie. It the midst of thinking of last time, I had been thinking of them. And in the past few days, I had been thinking of them, but Percy and I had been cooped up in the house with Aria.

"Do you think they'd like for us to see them? I don't know with Jason if they'd want to," Percy grew silent.

"Of course, they want to see you," I let out a small smile.

"How's Piper doing?" Percy questioned.

"She has good days and bad days. Thalia too. Aria was pretty young when it all happened, but I tried to help her through it," I said. Tears welled up in my eyes. "Did you know I thought it was you?"

Percy's eyes widened and he sat down next to me on the couch taking my hands. "You what?"

I nodded slowly. "Aria was barely old enough to go out of the house, probably seven weeks old at the time, so Piper and Thalia came to visit me. My heart dropped when the soldiers came to the door."

"Annabeth," his voice dropped. I thought back to that day.

_Thirteen Months Ago…_

"Annabeth, I know I keep saying this, but she's absolutely precious," Piper squealed rocking Aria back and forth.

Thalia smirked next to her future sister-in-law. "Don't start getting any ideas. You don't want one know, do you?"  
Piper blushed. "We aren't even married yet. But after, yes I would like one."

Thalia scrunched her eyebrows. "She seems like a lot of work."

I laughed. "She is, but she's absolutely worth it," I chimed in.

"I can't believe you and Percy Jackson actually have a baby, a daughter," my best friend chimed in slowly bringing her finger to the babe in Piper's arms.

"Trust me, she's real. Like really real, I pushed her out of me and everything," I said.

"Okay, I didn't need that image," Thalia squirmed.

"Oh?" I smirked. "Would you rather imagine her being conceived?"

"Gross, now I might barf," Thalia gagged.

I smiled. I missed having my best friends around. The last few weeks had been tough all by me with Aria. Percy would still be gone for a few more months, and he didn't even know about her. He was in for a real big surprise when he came back.

"But how are you doing? It can't be easy doing this all by yourself," Piper softened.

I mustered up the smile I had been doing too many times these past few weeks. "Okay, Sally's been over a lot to help when she can."

"You don't need to lie to us 'beth. We know what it's like to miss them, but not at all in your situation," Thalia placed her hand on my arm and that's all it took to bring me to tears.

"I just miss him," I cried, and Thalia pulled me into her arms. "And this is so hard, no one is supposed to raise a baby on their own. I barely sleep anymore. And now I'm worried about Percy and Aria all of the time. I feel like I'm failing her."

"Failing her?" Piper questioned.

"Percy would be so much better with her than I am. He's wanted kids for so long, I just barely thought it a possibility before I got pregnant. He would care for her way better than I am," I mumbled.

"Excuse my language around the baby, but Annabeth, you're a badass bitch and the strongest woman I know," Thalia let out and I let out a sad laugh. "Yes, Percy's going to be a great dad, but you're a great mom. He's not here with you, but he's going to stumble just as much, or probably more knowing him and his clumsiness, than you."

Aria began to squirm in Piper's arms and I immediately scooped her up to calm her. Piper let out a bright smile. "See you're great with her. She loves her mom."

I was about to open my mouth when the doorbell rang.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Piper asked. I shook my head as I held Aria. "I'll go get it, it's probably someone just selling something."

"Piper, who is it?" Thalia called.

She didn't reply but came back with two solemn looking soldiers with her. I vaguely remembered meeting them both at one time. Will and another named Nico. They weren't part of Percy and Jason's unit but helped serve on intelligence back here. My heart raced.

"Mrs. Jackson," Will addressed me.

Thalia's eyes went wide, and she quickly swiped Aria out of my arms and placed her in a nearby crib.

"God, no, please don't tell me." I let out a sob. "Percy."

Will gulped. "We came to tell you he's hurt badly, but he should recover."

My heart stopped racing. He was hurt but would be okay. Why did they still have such solemn looks on their faces?

"Ms. McLean, we went to your house earlier today, but you weren't there," Nico addressed her.

Piper grabbed my hand and Thalia grabbed my other. Shit. "Is Jason hurt too?" she asked.

Thalia was already shaking next to me in shock. They didn't have to say anything for her to know. I knew it too. We were all waiting for them to say it.

I held Piper's hand tight. "Piper," I sighed.

"Jason's unit was hit hard, as we already said, Percy was hit pretty hard but should make a full recovery. But Jason," Nico couldn't finish.

"No," Piper gasped next to me.

"Piper, we're so sorry, but your fiancé didn't make it out." Will finished.

"No!" Piper screamed. This time Aria began to cry as well. As much as I wanted to comfort my baby, Piper needed me more now. Her body began to wrack with sobs. "No, no, no, this can't be true!"

I wrapped my arms around her body, and she fell into me. "Shh, Piper, I'm so sorry."

"He can't be gone. We're supposed to get married, supposed to have a family." She sobbed out.

My heart ached for my friend. Whatever my husband and her fiancé had been through must have been terrible. They normally only came to tell of deaths, not of injuries. I was glad Percy was alive, but I couldn't really think of that as I held Piper in my arms. Her world had just fallen apart. Her screams shook my house.

_Present _

I turned to look at my husband whose face had gone a ghostly white. "Love, are you okay?"

He nodded slowly. "That's how I got those scars," he muttered softly.

"What?" I asked as I grabbed his shaking hands.

"The scars on my chest, the bad ones. There was a bomb. I was supposed to be the one to diffuse it, but Jason insisted. I was going back for him, but I was just barely at the edge of the blast zone, bad but superficial wounds. He was at the center," Percy muttered.

"Oh, honey," I trailed my hands over his face.

"Do, do you think we can go see them? I know Jason would want me to check on them, and," he paused and shut his eyes. "And I need to see them too."  
I pressed a kiss to his eyelids. "Yeah, let me text them right now."  
I took my phone out as Percy pulled me into his arms. He ran his hand through my hair as I texted Piper and Thalia. I had messaged them a few times since Percy got back, they wanted to know how he took to Aria, but nothing besides that. They knew we were busy, but I'm sure it hurt them too knowing Jason would've been home now too.

_"Hey. Are you around tonight?" _I sent to Piper and Thalia. Ever since Jason died, Thalia moved in with Piper. She said it was to help Piper, but I know having someone around who had gone through it too kept them both sane.

_"Yeah, why?" _Piper responded.

_"I'd like to see you guys…and Percy would too,_" I sent.

The texting bubble was on far too long for my liking when Piper responded. _"Of course. Do you want to come by around 6? Know you'll want Aria home for her bedtime."_

_"Yes, see you then!" _I finished.

"Percy?" I asked.

"Hmm," he muttered against my hair.

"Piper said we can come over around 6 tonight."

"Okay," he lulled.

I laughed and turned around to face him. "Do you need a nap too?"

He blinked one eye open. "Hmm, will you be taking this nap with me?"

I smirked. "I don't think you'd actually be getting much sleep if I did."

He let out a smile. "I promise I won't try anything. I just love sleeping next to you. You keep the nightmares away."

I kissed him again. "Okay, only if you carry me." I flung my arms open and Percy just laughed as he picked me up like I had for Aria a few minutes earlier.

He led us up to our room and set me down gently on the bed. I was in a pair of comfortable leggings and a t-shirt, so I didn't need to change. Percy flung off his shirt and pants, so he was only in his boxers before he crawled into bed with me. I turned to face him, so we were nose-to-nose. I shut my eyes sniffing in his scent. Percy pulled me closer and began to run calm circles around my back. Maybe I was a little tired too…

I woke up to a dark room and alone in bed. I pouted as I sat up but then checked the time. It was a quarter after 5. Shoot! Aria would have woken up from her nap already. I ran out of my room and into Aria's. She wasn't there. It took me a moment to remember that I wasn't alone in this anymore. I calmed down and walked downstairs to where my husband was with our daughter.

He was in the position we were in earlier. The sides of the room were blocked off and Aria was running around as Percy laughed with her. She would run up to him and drop off various toys which he proceeded to tickle her every time she dropped one off earning a fit of giggles.

"Mama!" Aria perked up when she realized I was watching. I stepped over the gate and kissed my little girl's head.

"Were you having fun with Daddy?" I asked.

"Ya!" Aria exclaimed back to me and my heart filled. I'm sure Percy's did as well.

"That's great baby, but we're going out to see Aunt Piper and Thalia. You need to get ready," I said.

"Pi'er, Tall-a," she said trying to make out their names.

Percy swung down and scooped up Aria producing a fit of giggles as he tickled her. "How about we let mama get ready too? She just woke up from her nap too."

I quirked my brow. "Are you sure you're up for getting her ready?"

Percy scoffed. "How hard can it be getting a 15-month-old ready?"

I kissed his lips and smirked. "You're about to find out."

I ran upstairs to quickly get ready. I threw on a pair of jeans and a nice blouse and fixed my hair and makeup. As I suspected, a few minutes later I heard Aria let out a loud scream. I winced and headed over to her room.

If Percy wasn't so distressed, the scene in front of me may have almost been comical. He managed to get Aria into a clean diaper, but that was it. She was running around the room naked and screaming while Percy chased her.

"Aria, sweetie, please. You need to get dressed so you can see Aunt Piper and Thalia. Don't you want that?" he practically begged.

"No!" Aria crossed her arms.

I laughed behind them and Percy let out a sigh. "Do you need some help?" I questioned.

"I, I thought I could do this on my own," he muttered.

I smiled. "She hates changing, probably a trait she got from me. Come here baby girl," I said holding out my arms.

Aria stayed put. "No," she fought back.

"At least I'm not the only one getting an attitude," Percy mumbled.

"Aria," I scolded and went to her closet and pulled out a casual pink dress. "How about this? Auntie Piper got it for you."

"No," she stood her ground.

"At least we know she's your daughter, got your stubbornness from you," Percy said.

I glared at him. "Not helping," I snapped.

"Sorry," he muttered quietly and looked down. My heart sank. I hadn't meant to snap at him. All he was trying to do was help, it wasn't his fault Aria wasn't being cooperative. He was still learning her habits and I had to remember that.

"It's okay love," I softened. "Aria, sweetie," I tried to calm my voice too. Her arms dropped. "Can you please just put this dress on? For mommy?"

Shoot. Now we were doing a complete 180. Aria's face dropped and she began to cry. "Oh, honey," I went over and pulled her into my arms. It was hard at her age to know if she actually understood my words, but she could tell me tone and responded to it. "Shh, it's okay. Mommy just wants you to have some clothes on for aunt Piper and Thalia."

"Mama," she cried.

"Shh, let's just put your dress on," I said, and she finally complied. She slipped the dress on and I quickly put her shoes on too in case she decided to revert back to her stubbornness. "Let's go," I said picking her up. Percy slowly stood up from the other side of the room. He came over and was about to take her from me. "I've got her," I said a little too harshly. Again, I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but Aria was sensitive right now.

He gulped. "Do you need anything else?"

I pointed. "That bag, it has her diaper stuff and some toys." Percy nodded and quickly grabbed it.

We headed outside and I strapped Aria into her car seat. I shut the door and headed up to the driver's seat. Percy was opening the door, but I promptly shut it and he rose an eyebrow.

"What door do you think you're getting in, Seaweed Brain?" I crossed my arms.

He stared me down. "I've left the house like once since I've been back. Please, let me drive?" he pouted his face into a puppy dog expression. Gosh, Aria had mastered that same expression.

"Nope, not going to work. Our daughter has had that same expression, I'm immune to it now," I said, and he continued to pout. "Plus, do you even know where their new house is?"

"House?" Percy's ears perked up.

I sighed. "Well, more of a condo really. After Jason, their old apartment felt too much like him. She moved out closer to us. I think she's really attached to Aria."  
Percy sighed and finally handed me the keys. "Okay, you win this one Wise Girl."

I smirked as I took the keys. "I'm pretty sure I win them all."

He smiled. "And like always, you are correct." He said before sliding into the passenger's seat.

I smiled at my husband and hoped in the driver's seat before heading off. It didn't take long to get to Piper and Thalia's new home. They loved the neighborhood Percy and I bought into and thought it would be a good one to move to as well. Plus, that meant Aria and I were close to them too.

We finally pulled up into the driveway after ten or so minutes of driving. I turned back to Aria who was happily gurgling in the back. I then turned to Percy, who for some reason was shaking excessively.

"Honey," I said placing my hand on top of his. He jumped slightly but relaxed when I ran my thumb over his knuckles. "Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly before speaking. "Yeah, it's just the last time I saw them, Jason and I were heading off for deployment. Now I'm back and he isn't. It's not fair."  
"Oh, Percy," I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "It's not, but you're here now. Please remember that."

He smiled and kissed me back. "I know. I have you and Aria to show for it every day."  
I continued to rub his knuckles. "Are you ready to go inside?"  
"I'm ready to see them," he said.

We began to head inside once I got Aria out of her car seat. We stood silent on their porch step for a moment. I pressed my hand against Percy's.

"Do you want me to knock?" I questioned and all he did was nod silently in response. With Aria still rested on my hip, I knocked on their big white door.

It only took a few moments before someone opened the door. Standing on the other side was my best friend with her stark black hair and electric blue eyes that matched her late brother. We had known Thalia since middle-school, but she didn't seem to age much until this past year.

Thalia stood silent for a second before engulfing Percy in a hug, something she rarely did. Percy stood in shock before wrapping his arms around her, hugging his close friend.

"Thalia," Percy chocked out. "I'm so sorry. Jason," but she cut him off.

"Don't say anything, Kelp Head. We're just glad you're home," Thalia pulled away and let out a small smile. "Come inside."

We followed her in and shut the door behind us. Before I could even take my shoes off, Thalia took Aria out of my arms and she let out a giggle.

"How's my favorite niece doing?" Thalia asked and Aria let out a smile. "Are you happy that your dad's home?"

"Ya!" Aria giggled and I saw Percy let out a big smile.

"Let's take you inside. I got you some new toys," Thalia smiled at my daughter. We followed her into the living room where we saw Piper sitting, shaking profusely.

"Piper," I let out. But she wasn't looking at me; she was looking at Percy.

Percy silently understood her plea and made his way over to her. He sat down next to her and took her hands. She still wore her engagement ring on her left even though it had been over a year since her fiancé died.

"Piper," Percy gulped. "Jason, I'm sorry." Percy sobbed out. "I tried to save him, but he was stubborn and wouldn't listen."

Piper had tears in her eyes and let out a sad laugh. "He always had to be the hero."

Percy nodded. "Until the very end."

"Can, can I ask what happened?" She questioned and Percy sucked in a breath. He hadn't spoken much of that day yet. "If it's too much, I understand. I just need to know."

Percy sighed. "Whatever you need Piper."

Thalia and I began to settle in. She had already set up a playpen for Aria and set her inside. Surprisingly, my daughter was staying quiet. Maybe she recognized her dad had something important to say.

Percy glanced up at me to make a silent plea. Thalia saw it too because she stood up and took Percy's place by Piper so he could sit next to me. He immediately grasped my hand before he spoke.

"The day started off normal enough," he began shutting his eyes. He started to shake, and I gripped his hand tight. "But then we got word that the group we had been chasing was planning something, a bomb. I'm sorry," Percy stopped and began to sob. I pulled him into my arms.

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it, not yet," Thalia grew understanding.

"What happened when he died?" Piper pushed.

"Piper," Thalia scolded.

"I need to know how my fiancé died!" Piper screamed.

"Piper, Percy's only been back a week. He needs time to adjust. We can come back in a few weeks," I said but Percy began to gather himself.

"He died saving us," Percy said.

"Percy," I said.

"How?" Piper urged.

"There was a bomb. We weren't sure how far the detonation would go so, we had to evacuate as many civilians as far out as we could. We also wanted to try to stop the bomb. I volunteered to go, but Jason wouldn't have it," Percy paused. "We argued and argued about it. He said I had a family to go back to, and I tried to remind him of you guys, but again, he was just too damn stubborn. I don't know why he was so pushy. I went back for him after the evacuations were done, but the bomb had already gone off, but he must have lowered the detonation zone. A saved us all, he was a hero."

"He saved you," Piper said. "He was too good. I doubt he would've let you otherwise, but he knew about Aria then too."

My eyes shot over to Piper. "He what?"

Piper nodded sadly. "He knew. I don't know how he got to call me, but he had the day before. Maybe fate knew he would be gone the next. But I told him about our goddaughter. About how amazing you were with Aria and how he and Percy needed to get back to see her."

"He saved me. He saved me for my little girl," Percy said, and we all looked at Aria who was happily playing in her playpen. "I'll never be able to thank him enough."

"Just name your next kid after him, I'm sure he'd like that," Thalia laughed.

"Next kid?" I let out a laugh. "That's not happening for a while," but Percy was only paying attention to our little girl.

"That might just have to be arranged," he mumbled.

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm really enjoying writing this piece and hope you all do too. As always, please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Percy POV

I punched into the bag once again. It was early on a Saturday morning, three weeks after I had first gotten back, but Leo, Frank, and I had all met up to work out and catch up. I had argued that I wanted to spend time with my wife and daughter since Annabeth was going back to work on Monday after taking the week off with me coming back, but Annabeth wouldn't have it. And soon I would have Aria all to myself during the days, she said I would need some time with my friends.

"Dude, I'm glad I'm not that punching bag," Leo mumbled next to me taking off his gloves.

Frank grunted and let go of the bag. "Yeah, or me. Your punch went through that bag."

I stepped back and sighed. "Sorry, I just have a lot of," I paused, "_feelings _built up."

"I'll say," Leo lightly tapped my shoulder and I rolled my eyes.

"You definitely have the biggest change coming back from any of us. Aria, gosh man, that's something," Frank remarked.

We started to pack up, but I couldn't help but smile. "She's amazing man, you don't even know. For her age, she's super smart, just like her mom. And seeing Annabeth with her, gosh," I shook my head. "You won't ever know the feeling until you have a kid."

Frank's eyes went wide. "Hazel and I have been getting closer, but not that close."  
I smirked at him. "And what about you Leo, any one special girl or just sleeping around?"

Now Leo's eyes went wide. "Uh, well, now that you mention it, there may be one girl."

"Wait, seriously? Who? Do we know her?" Frank asked.

Leo muttered something under his breath, but both Frank and I had obviously missed it. "What was that Leo?" I asked.

"Calypso," I heard him mutter louder this time.

"Wait, Calypso, Calypso?" I stuttered.

"Wait, who's Calypso?" Frank asked.

"My girlfriend," Leo said.

"I got that. But why are you two acting so weird?" He asked.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Calypso and I sort of had a thing in high school. Annabeth and I weren't together yet, but it was right after we had our first kiss. The thing with Calypso didn't last long, maybe two weeks at most. But I sort of disappeared on everyone during that time."

"Annabeth must have been so mad after that," Frank smirked at me.

I rubbed the back of my neck as we left the gym. "Yeah, she really was. We didn't talk for a while, especially not about that kiss."

"Who kissed who again?" Leo asked.

"Annabeth kissed me," I said with a blush.

"Right," Leo smirked. "Because you were completely clueless."

I shrugged. "Well, this completely clueless guy needs to get back to his wife and daughter." I gave them a quick wave.

I hopped in my car and started to drive home. The drive home should have been fairly easy. We lived less than ten minutes from the gym. But, of course with my luck, something had to go wrong.

One second I was driving through an intersection, the next I was hit side-on by an oncoming car who ignored the stoplight. It really wasn't that bad of an accident. They hit the tail of my car, causing my car to spin wildly, but otherwise, I wasn't hurt. The problem was the noise.

The screeching of the cars along with the spin was enough to send me into a flashback. Suddenly, I wasn't in New York about to go home. I was in the middle of a war zone. The screech of the car was metal on metal, but also the sounds of explosions and people screaming.

I lost focus and the next instant I woke up in a hospital. Why was I in a hospital? I groaned as I started to sit up.

"Percy!" Annabeth was right by my side. I could tell she had come after just getting out of bed. Her hair was hastily thrown up and she wore a pair of leggings and one of my sweatshirts. I glanced behind her to see Aria still in her pajamas sleeping on a chair.

I tried to let out a smile, but after my nightmare flashback, it wasn't really working. "Why am I in the hospital?"

Annabeth took my hand and ran her thumb over it. "You were in a car accident. It wasn't bad, but you wouldn't wake up. They called me and I came over here as fast as I could. Once I saw you, I realized you weren't physically hurt, you were having a flashback. The doctors wanted to monitor you still." Annabeth choked back a sob. "I was so worried. When they called that there was an accident, I didn't know what to think."

"Hey," I sat up and pulled her down for a kiss. "You think I would survive fighting in the war just to get taken out by a car in suburban New York."

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but Aria began to stir in her chair. "Mommy," she cried out.

Annabeth immediately dried up her tears and picked up our little girl. Aria stared at me with curious eyes. Annabeth began to talk softly at her. "Daddy got a little hurt, so we are waiting for the doctor to make sure he's better."

Aria continued to stare at me curiously and Annabeth brought her closer. I reached up and shook her little hand. "How's my little princess doing?"

Even more curiously, Aria began to wiggle out of Annabeth's arms, stretching her arms out towards me. I hesitated but allowed her to climb onto the hospital bed. She sat in my lap.

"Boo-boo," Aria muttered. Gosh, she was a smart girl to get I was hurt.

"Yeah," I let out a loose smile. "Daddy has a boo-boo." I got serious. I knew she wouldn't understand, but I wanted to tell my little girl. "Daddy's seen some scary stuff and sometimes I think I'm seeing it again. I have a boo-boo in my brain."

Right after I said that Aria climbed up on me. I held my breath as she leaned over and gave my forehead a big kiss. I looked up at Annabeth who had tears in her eyes.

"She's trying to kiss your boo-boo better," Annabeth managed through her tears.

Aria looked at me with wide eyes. I gave her a kiss on her forehead which she took at I was okay. She curled up into my chest and promptly fell asleep. I dared not move.

I looked at my wife and whispered. "I'm never moving."

Annabeth smiled and quietly sat down in the chair nearby. Cautiously, I ran my hand up and down Aria's back. She sighed and snuggled into my chest further. Gosh, how had I missed this?

It was probably twenty minutes later when the doctor walked into the room. She let out a small smile. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. I already introduced myself to your wife, but I'm Dr. Wilson." She smiled at Aria. "I hate to take this little one off of her comfortable sleeping arrangement, but I need to do one final check on Mr. Jackson, and then we can get you out of here. Does that sound good?"

I nodded and Annabeth stood up to gently take Aria off my chest. However, she didn't want to go. She held firmly onto my shirt grumbling. I let out a little laugh. I tickled Aria's cheek.

"Wake up sweetie, the doctor's got to check on Daddy," I said. She gave me a sad look and squirmed when Annabeth took her off. While the doctor did her final checkup, Aria refused to take her eyes off of me.

The doctor finally gave me the all-clear, just a recommendation to follow-up with my psychologist. A meeting I already had set for Monday again. I'd been seeing Dr. Chiron on a weekly basis. I slipped on my shoes and smiled at my family. "Ready to go?"

Yet, Aria began to squirm in Annabeth's arms. "Mama, no," she was pushing her away.

Annabeth's face contorted. "Aria, please, we need to go home."

Aria continued to fight and push away from Annabeth. I walked over and rubbed her back. "Sweetie, please be good for mommy," I said. While I did, Aria twisted away from Annabeth again. Instinctively, I grabbed her out of Annabeth's arm and Aria immediately settled down. She curled up into my chest. "Well, okay. I guess I'm going to be bringing her to the car."

"Percy, you have no idea how cute you look right now. First, you telling our daughter to be good for mommy. And now, her curling up in your chest." Annabeth said.

I smirked. "Try to turn your horniness down. We're in public. Save that for later."

She smirked and got right up into my ear. "Don't worry, I'll save it for tonight."

I shivered as Annabeth walked out of the emergency room ahead of me, swaying her hips slightly. Damn, that woman had me wrapped around her finger. I glanced at the child in my arms. I guess that made two girls that had me wrapped around their fingers.

I sat in the back on the ride home making goofy faces with Aria. I would never get sick of her giggles. And she was already getting too big. How much longer would I be able to cuddle her?

Annabeth parked the car and I swiftly helped Aria out of her car seat. I wasn't struggling with it anymore, thank goodness. I swung Aria around, and she let out a huge laugh. Annabeth rose an eyebrow. "Princess, how about we get you out of these pajamas?" I asked.

"Ya!" Aria exclaimed.

"And then we can let mommy get her morning coffee. She ran out of the house very fast because daddy was hurt. Let's let her relax while I wrangled you into your clothes," I blew kisses into her stomach and she let out more giggles. This was a far cry from my flashback this morning.

I managed to get Aria out of her clothes pretty easily, just getting new ones on proved to be difficult. She was running around her bedroom in just her diaper.

"Princess Aria, what are you doing?" on her next run around I managed to grab her and put on a cute pair of leggings with a top. She giggled as I gave her kisses. "I love you baby girl."

She smiled. "'Wuv ya," she tried to spit out.

"Let's go downstairs to say hi to your mommy," I picked Aria up but was surprised to see Annabeth standing there with two coffees in hand.

She smiled. "With all the laughing, I came to see what all the fuss was about." She handed me a mug. "How are you so patient with her? I love her, but when she doesn't listen it makes me go insane."

I smiled and shrugged. "She's a kid. She just wants to play." Aria held out her arms and continued to spin around the room. Annabeth and I both let out a laugh as Aria was in her own world. "Plus, she's just so darn cute."

"Do you think you could deal with this cuteness on your own?" Annabeth bit her lip.

I looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

Annabeth rubbed her temples. "I know it's terrible timing, but I haven't been doing a ton of work lately since you got home. One of my projects in Chicago fell absurdly behind, I need to go oversee it."

I scrunched my eyebrows. "Okay?" I asked wondering what the issue was.

"Okay? That's all you have to say?" Annabeth seemed slightly taken aback.

"Umm," I was still wondering what it was all about. "And I'll miss you and I love you very much?" Her eyes darted back between Aria and me. "Oh," I suddenly felt dumb for not realizing it sooner. "Are you worried about Aria alone with me?"

Her eyes widened. "God, Percy, no. You're her dad and you're amazing with her. It's just it's the longest I'll have been gone since you've gotten back. Will you two be okay?"

"Annabeth, I hate it when you're gone, but it's not like this is something new. You've been leaving for work trips since we started living together. I think I can manage a few days without you." I snatched Aria as she ran around and she let out a huge giggle. "Especially with this one here to keep me company."

"Okay, I'll call work. I'll leave tomorrow night and I'll come back Thursday, does that sound okay?" Annabeth asked.

"Annabeth, yes. I'll manage a few days without you." I placed kisses on Aria's cheeks, and she giggled. "Maybe we can do something fun. I'm sure I can get my dad to swing us a couple of VIP tickets to the aquarium."

Annabeth's smile widened. "Percy, she'd love that."

"Has my dad met her?" I asked. My dad and I had an estranged relationship. He left my mom before I was born and reappeared in my life when I was twelve. We don't have a typical father-son relationship, but I'm glad he's in my life. He did, however, own a huge internationally recognized sea life rescue and research aquarium. That meant most of the time he was gone. I hadn't seen him since I'd gotten back, just talked to him a few times.

My wife nodded. "He was in town for work when Aria was six months old. He cried holding her," she looked at our daughter. "He said he wished he could have been there for you when you were little. I'm sure you'll have no trouble getting the tickets."

"What about your mom?" I asked. Annabeth's breath hitched. Annabeth's mom Athena and her dad Frederick had only gotten married because Athena got pregnant with Annabeth. The marriage hadn't lasted. After the divorce, Athena abandoned Annabeth to her father and eventually her stepmom and stepbrothers.

Annabeth shook her head. "She hasn't reached out since before you left. She doesn't even know about her."

"Honey," I tried to sympathize, but she just held up her hand.

"My dad did come visit a couple of times. Once he even brought Bobby and Matthew," Annabeth smiled. "And, it was rocky at first, but good. The boys quickly took a liking to Aria."

"Who couldn't?" I smiled back at her.

"I'll go call work," she said leaving the room to avoid any further discussion about her family.

Annabeth left for her work trip Sunday and then my week with Aria began. It was a lot more work than I originally thought. I always had Annabeth there to back me up, but now I was on my own. Even with all that, it was truly and absolutely incredible.

During my therapy appointment Monday, I brought Aria to my mom's. I ended staying with her all day after my appointment and had dinner with her, Paul, and Estelle. Estelle was thrilled to be able to play with her niece after school.

Tuesday, I brought Aria to the aquarium. She was only one and a half, but I'm pretty sure it was one of the best days of her life. She was constantly pressing her face to the glass to get a closer look at the animals swimming around. I had to practically hold her back from jumping in to swim with the dolphins. I'd have to talk to Annabeth about starting her on swimming lessons soon. Maybe that could be a father-daughter bonding thing.

There weren't any problems until Wednesday night, the night before Annabeth was to come home. I woke up with a start. The baby monitor was going off with small screams and cries. My heart skipped beats as I rushed into Aria's room. She was still asleep, but she was thrashing in her bed. She was having a nightmare. What did a one-year-old have to be scared about?

I walked over and gently shook her awake. My heart continued to cry out with Aria woke up tears still streaming down her eyes. I had turned on the lights to help scare away whatever was bothering her. The instant she realized I was in the room, she cried out again and buried herself in my chest.

I rubbed her back. "Shh, shh, baby, it's okay. Daddy's here." It took me a while to calm her down. She finally began to settle, but when I tried laying her down in her bed again, she wouldn't have it. I couldn't leave my little girl. I picked her up in my arms and kissed the top of your head. "You can sleep with me tonight, my princess."

Aria clung to me as I made my way to my room. I laid her down next to me and got under the covers. She instantly snuggled into my chest. She rested her head against my heart.

" 'Wuv ya Dada," she mumbled before she went to sleep.

My heart instantly filled with joy. She had finally called me Dada.

The next morning, Aria and I slept in pretty late, both exhausted from the night before. Aria stayed snuggling into me all morning. I finally made us both get up when Aria's stomach began to rumble.

I kissed her head. "Come on princess, let's go have breakfast. How do blue pancakes sound?" Aria cocked her head in confusion but followed me downstairs. It was lunchtime and we were both still in our pajamas. I didn't mind though, as long as I got to spend time with my little girl.

I turned on some music while I mixed the batter and began to dance funny. Aria giggled. "Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"What? Am I dancing funny?" She just giggled in response but picked up dancing with me. I wiggled with Aria as I cooked the pancakes. When the final one was done, I heard the front door open.

Annabeth leaned across the kitchen doorway a huge smile on her face. "What do we have here?"

"Mama!" Aria exclaimed and ran over where Annabeth scooped her up and gave her a big kiss. I smiled and turned off the music.

I walked over and kissed my wife on the cheek. "How was your trip? We missed you."

Annabeth cocked an eyebrow. "Mhmm. I can tell. You two dancing to music in your pajamas making blue pancakes. Oh, yeah, at noon."

I smiled sheepishly. "You can have some too. We'll share, right princess?" Aria nodded enthusiastically.

"If I'm invited, sure I'll join," Annabeth began to head to the table, but I held up my hand.

"There is one condition," I said. She arched her eyebrow. "You have to be in your PJs."

Annabeth laughed and handed Aria to me. "I'll be back in a minute."

While Annabeth was changing, I set the table. I got Aria into her highchair and cut up some pancakes for her. Annabeth came down a few minutes later with her hair up in a ponytail and a pair of pink pajamas on.

"Pajamas and blue pancakes, what's the occasion?" Annabeth quirked a brow as she sat down across from me.

I shrugged. "I wanted to share something with Aria. Plus, she had a rough night last night."

Annabeth's face fell. "Shoot, I totally forgot to mention it. Did she get a nightmare?"

I nodded. "Does it happen often?"

My wife shook her head. "More when she was little. Her pediatrician said it has something to do with her and loneliness."

My heart sank. "When I went in there to see her crying, it just broke my heart." I shook my head. "I couldn't leave her. She slept with me in our bed."

Annabeth smiled. "I do that too." She ruffled Aria's head as she scarfed down her pancakes. "Did you sleep with daddy last night?"

Aria responded with an enthusiastic, "Dada!"

Annabeth's eyes began to water. "Did she?"

I nodded. "She did last night. She started calling me dada."

Annabeth reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "Percy." Tears began to well up in her eyes. Before we could say anything else, Aria began to giggle loudly. Annabeth and I had to stifle laughs as well when we saw what had happened.

I may have put a little too much syrup on Aria's plate as it was now everywhere on her. In her hair, on her face, on her hands, even on her clothes. She had gotten it everywhere.

"You are a little troublemaker, aren't you?" I asked her.

Annabeth smirked. "Hey, she gets it from you." Aria just giggled in response.

I began to unbuckle her from her highchair. "I guess that gives me the responsibility of getting you cleaned up. I think you need a bath baby girl."

Annabeth tapped my shoulder. "You've handled her all week, I can get this," but then she let out a huge yawn.

I checked the time; it was around one pm. "No, I think you need a nap. For you to have gotten back so early, you must have gotten an early flight. Sleep, I got this."

Annabeth was about to argue, but surprisingly gave in. "Okay, I love you."

I kissed her as I got our sticky baby out of her highchair. "I love you too. Now, go take a nap."

Annabeth smirked. "Yes sir," and off she went.

I brought Aria up to the bathroom. Luckily for me, Aria absolutely loved baths. Annabeth normally had to limit the time she got for a bath. Since Annabeth was sleeping, I figured we could use bath time as playtime as well.

I helped Aria out of her pajamas and rinsed her off a bit under the running bath faucet. Aria squirmed a bit, but if I was going to let her have playtime as well in the tub, she couldn't be sitting in completely dirty, sticky water. I got her rinsed off enough and let the water run warm. I got out some of Aria's bath toys and dumped them in. She squealed in response.

Aria and I played back and forth with her toys. This resulted in her getting clean and me getting completely soaked out of the tub. She thought it was hilarious to get me wet and I couldn't really argue, it was pretty funny.

Once the water got cold, I wrapped her up in her towel and brought her to her room to change. Somehow, the time had flown by and it was time for Aria to take a nap. She fussed a little bit as I put her down and she wouldn't let me leave while she was awake. Thankfully, she went down pretty quickly. Probably from the playtime just now and the lack of sleep from her nightmare the night before.

When I was finally able to leave the room, I quietly snuck into mine, careful not to wake Annabeth. I took a quick shower to wash off the bubbles from Aria's bath and changed into something that wasn't my pajamas. I tried to leave the room as quietly as I could, but when I left the bathroom, Annabeth was already sliding out of bed.

I sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I actually have some work I should finish up for the weekend, then I'll have the rest of the week off."

This sparked my interest. "Like, Friday through Sunday off?"

She laughed. "Yep. I got the Chicago project on track and even a little bit ahead. I figured we could have some family time this weekend. Maybe even see if some of our friends want to come over Saturday night."

"Are you suggesting we host a party?"  
"Yes?" Annabeth smiled. "I know your mom would take Aria. I would like to meet Frank and Hazel. And we can invite Piper, Thalia, Leo, Calypso, Grover, and Juniper."

"Getting the gang back together?" I smiled.

She shrugged. "If you want."  
I walked over and kissed her head. "It sounds perfect."  
She smiled. "Do you want to contact them all and ask if they are free Saturday night while I finish my work?"  
"It would be my pleasure." Annabeth smiled and went into her office to finish up her work as I sent a group message to all our friends. In a very quick response, they all responded with a yes. I'm glad Annabeth wanted to get together will all our friends, but if I was being honest, I was a little surprised. She had been keeping Aria and her the center of my attention, which I honestly didn't mind. I loved them both so much, but it would be nice to see some of my friends again.

After messaging them, I quickly cleaned up the kitchen. I wasn't the neatest when I was cooking, and especially not with my signature blue pancakes. I cleaned up the blue batter that had somehow gotten everywhere and before I knew it the baby monitor went off with Aria waking up from her nap.

I walked up the steps to her room, but Annabeth was already there. She was holding a still slightly sleeping little girl and her hip. I smirked when I walked into the room.

"Maybe I missed her a little more than I'd like to admit," Annabeth smiled sheepishly.

I went over and kissed Aria's head. "That's okay. Aria and I both really missed you too."

Annabeth smiled. "I just finished with my work, are we good to stay in the rest of the day? Maybe order in too? Pizza and a movie?"

"P'za," Aria echoed her mother and we both laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes," I smiled.

"What movie should we watch? Although I have a feeling, I know what it'll be," Annabeth turned to our daughter. "What movie?" She set Aria down and she went running to her pajama drawer and tore out a nightgown with Anna and Elsa on it.

"Frozen!" Aria exclaimed.

Annabeth laughed. "That's what I figured. It's her favorite movie and every time we watch it, we both wear Frozen pajamas."

I laughed. "You have frozen pajamas?"

Annabeth put a hand over her heart. "Of course, I do. It's our daughter's favorite movie."

I smiled. "I can put on some blue pants or something to try and match."

Annabeth smirked. "Don't think you're getting out of this," she ran back to our room while I helped Aria change into her PJs.

Annabeth came back a few minutes later in an Anna and Elsa t-shirt that matched our daughter's nightgown and pants with snowflakes on them. In her right hand, she held up a pair of fluffy pajama pants.

Annabeth pointed to the character on them, "Aria, who's that?"

"Olaf!" she shrieked.

She smiled. "We were out shopping and I thought these would look great on you."  
I rolled my eyes and gave her a kiss. "We're all so cute. I'll meet you downstairs."

After putting on my pajamas, I meet Annabeth and Aria downstairs for dinner then we snuggled up for the movie. I tried to sit my Annabeth, but Aria wasn't having it. She plopped herself in between the two of us. Thankfully, I was still able to wrap my arm around Annabeth.

"Oh, and one more thing," Annabeth let out a blush. "Aria likes it when," Annabeth sighed. "Aria likes it when I sing the songs with the characters."

I rose an eyebrow. "You sing along? This I have to hear."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "Oh, no sir. You are going to be singing with me."

So, our evening was filled with giggles, dancing, and singing with not much actual movie watching. By the end, it was Aria's bedtime, so I brought her upstairs and got her ready for bed. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes when Aria picked out a Frozen picture book to read before bed. Still, I smiled and got through most of it, but my sweet angel was asleep before I hit the ending.

I slowly backed out of the room and headed downstairs. Annabeth was browsing through movies the two of us could watch. I headed into the kitchen and poured us each a glass of wine. Walking back to our toy covered living room, I set them down on the coffee table.

"She's all down for bed. We didn't even get through one story. I think we wore her out," I smiled.

Annabeth began to speak. "Percy, you're so good with her. You're an amazing father. Just to think a month ago you found out you had a daughter. When you're with her, it's like you've known her the whole time she's been alive." Annabeth smirked. "And I think she's becoming quite a little daddy's girl."

I shook my head. "You two are my everything. And Annabeth, you are absolutely amazing. The fact that anytime you watched Frozen you sang all the songs?" she blushed lightly. "Like, how did you even figure out she'd loved that? You're amazing."

I leaned over and kissed her lips. It had been almost a week since we'd been able to kiss properly. She moaned against my lips. Sheepishly, I pulled away.

I lifted up my wine glass. "A toast, to us being amazing parents." Annabeth rolled her eyes, but still clinked my glass. I took a small sip but rose my eyebrow when Annabeth didn't. I set my glass on the table and she did as well. "Is there something wrong?"

Annabeth's eyes glimmered. She shook her head and bit her lip. "No, Percy, everything is great."

"Why didn't you drink then?" I furrowed my brows. "You're not like, pregnant, are you?"  
Annabeth let out a smile. "Actually," her hand slipped over her abdomen. Her eyes continued to glimmer as a huge smile formed on her face. "I am, Percy. We're going to have another baby."

My hands slipped over my mouth. "Oh, my god. Annabeth, please tell me you aren't joking."

She let out a laugh, tears at the edges of her eyes. "Percy, I'm not joking."

I pressed my head to her forehead and gave her a kiss. "We're having another baby."

She laughed. "We're having another baby."

**Yay! I hope you all enjoyed! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I'm excited for how this is going. I'll try to update again soon. As always, please leave a review if you feel inclined. I'm so glad you all read this story! **


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